SportsDirect News - GolfWelcome to Sports Direct's News Roomhttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/
http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specificationBlogEngine.NET 3.4.0.0en-UShttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/opml.axdhttp://www.dotnetblogengine.net/syndication.axdMy nameSportsDirect News0.0000000.000000A Dummies Guide to The Ryder Cup 2016<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="background: white;">The Ryder Cup is one of golf’s most interesting competitions, but how many of us understand what is going on? We have created a full breakdown of the tournament, to ensure you have enough knowledge to make it through all three days of the tournament.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b><span>The History</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span>The story of the Ryder Cup dates back to 1921 when an unofficial match between Great Britain and the United States took place at Gleneagles golf course in Scotland. Five years later in 1926 another match took place and attending that match was an entrepreneur called Samuel Ryder. Ryder was so enthralled by what he saw, he wanted to make the competition an official event and even donated the famous gold trophy which at the time cost him £250. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span>The first official Ryder Cup was contested in 1927 and in 1953 the Great Britain team was expanded to include Irish golfers. In 1979 the British and Irish team was expanded even further to include players across Europe and with it the Ryder Cup became one of world’s biggest golf competitions, attracting millions of viewers around the globe. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b><span>The Course</span></b></p><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b><span><span class="imageHolder"></span></span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span>The Ryder cup takes place on a selected course alternating between the United States and Europe. This year it’s the American’s turn to host the tournament and Hazeltine National Golf Club course has been selected. This picturesque course spans hills and woods, and hosted the PGA Championship back in 2009. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b><span>Hazeltine Golf Course (Par 72) (7,628 yd)</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span><img alt="thumbnail" src="http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/marketing/blog/hazeltine.jpg"></span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b><span>The Teams</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span>Each team is made up of 12 golfers and a non-playing captain who does not take part in matches. The last captain to combine the roles of captain and player was the late Arnold Palmer in 1963. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span>Automatic qualification varies between countries with Europe using a points system and the United States opting to rank players based on earnings.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span>Each team also contains wildcard selections chosen by the team captains. The captain also decides who plays in each group of matches, as well as helping to decide the playing order.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b><span>The USA Team<span>&nbsp; </span></span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span><span class="imageHolder"><img alt="thumbnail" src="http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/marketing/blog/davislove.jpg"></span><span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span>Davis Love III (Captain) </span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">Rickie Fowler (Captain Pick), J.B. Holmes (Captain Pick), Ryan Moore (Captain Pick), Matt Kuchar (Captain Pick)</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson, <span>Patrick Reed, </span><span>Brandt Snedeker, </span><span>Jordan Spieth, </span>Jimmy Walker, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b><span>The European Team</span></b></p><p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span>Darren Clarke (Captain) </span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span><span class="imageHolder"><img alt="thumbnail" src="http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/marketing/blog/darrenclarke.jpg"></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">Lee Westwood (Captain Pick) - Thomas Pieters (Captain Pick) - Martin Kaymer (Captain Pick)</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span>Rafa Cabrera Bello, </span><span>Matthew Fitzpatrick, </span><span>Sergio Garcia, </span><span>Rory McIlroy, </span>Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson, Andy Sullivan, Danny Willett, Chris Wood</p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b><span>The Ryder Cup Layout</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span>Over the three days, a total of 28 matchups are played including 8 foursome matches, 8 fourball matches and 12 singles matches. </span></p> <p style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 1.2pt;"><b><span>Day 1</span></b><span>&nbsp;(Friday) – 4&nbsp;<span style="color: windowtext;">foursome </span>(alternate shot) matches and 4&nbsp;<span style="color: windowtext;">fourball</span>&nbsp;(better ball) matches</span></p> <p style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 1.2pt;"><b><span>Day 2</span></b><span>&nbsp;(Saturday) – 4 foursome matches and 4 fourball matches</span></p> <p style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 1.2pt;"><b><span>Day 3</span></b><span>&nbsp;(Sunday) – 12 singles matches</span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b><span>Foursomes</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="background: white;">Foursomes is an alternate shot format. This means that each two man team of two take alternate shots throughout the match, using the same ball. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b><span>Fourballs</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span style="background: white;">Fourball is also played out in teams of two, but each golfer plays their own ball. This format is also known as better ball as the teams number of strokes is dependent on the lower scoring player.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b><span>Singles Matches</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span>There are 12 singles matches that take place and these are a straight head to head between the two players.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span>All three of these match types follow the same scoring format we have highlighted below.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><b><span>Scoring</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span>What makes the Ryder Cup so interesting is it utilises the matchplay scoring system. This means a point is awarded for bettering your opponent on each individual hole. This varies from the traditional stroke play method, where players try to achieve the lowest under par score over one or more rounds of 18 holes. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span>This layout also means it’s possible for there to be a winner before all the holes have been played. For example, if a player or pair are winning by 2 holes on the 17<sup>th</sup>, then there is no way the other player can catch up, so the match is ended and the score is recorded as 2-Up with one to play. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span>If you win more holes than your opponent, you gain an overall point for your team. If both players or teams are tied at the end of a round, then each player gets half a point. The first team to achieve 14 and a half points out of the 28 match ups is the overall winner.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span>So those are the basics! If all this talk of golf has got you wanting to work on that swing, you can shop our full golf range <a href="http://www.sportsdirect.com/golf">here. </a></span></p> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;"><span>The Ryder Cup tees off on the 30/09/2016</span></p>http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/a-dummies-guide-to-the-ryder-cup-2016
http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/a-dummies-guide-to-the-ryder-cup-2016#commenthttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/post.aspx?id=31449c8e-1d83-40c8-bd37-58b0e01b4022Thu, 29 Sep 2016 16:24:19 +0000GolfSD_sean.riordan@sportsdirect.comhttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/pingback.axdhttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/post.aspx?id=31449c8e-1d83-40c8-bd37-58b0e01b40220http://blog.sportsdirect.com/trackback.axd?id=31449c8e-1d83-40c8-bd37-58b0e01b4022http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/a-dummies-guide-to-the-ryder-cup-2016#commenthttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/syndication.axd?post=31449c8e-1d83-40c8-bd37-58b0e01b4022Who Will Win The 2016 Masters Tournament?<style>
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<p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span>Jordan Spieth</span></b></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span><span class="imageHolder"><img alt="thumbnail" src="http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/marketing/jordanspieth1.jpg"></span></span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Nationality: USA</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Age: 22</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>World Ranking: 2</span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span></span><span>Winning last year’s tournament Jordan Spieth will be trying to defend his title and add to his two major wins.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span>Jason Day</span></b></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span><span class="imageHolder"><img alt="thumbnail" src="http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/marketing/jasonday.jpg"></span></span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Nationality: Australia</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Age:28</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>World Ranking: 1</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>His best finish is third, which he achieved at Augusta in 2013. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span>Adam Scott</span></b></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span><span class="imageHolder"><img alt="thumbnail" src="http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/marketing/adamscott.jpg"></span></span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Nationality: Australia</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Age: 35</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>World Ranking:7</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Adam Scott won the tournament in 2013 and is in good form this year following his win at the Honda Classic in February, where he beat Sergio Garcia by 1 shot.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span>Rory Mcilroy</span></b></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span><span class="imageHolder"><img alt="thumbnail" src="http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/marketing/rorymcilory.jpg"></span>&nbsp;</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Nationality: Northern Ireland</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Age: 26</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>World Ranking: 3</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>If Rory Mcilroy wins the tournament he will achieve the career grand slam and will be amongst only 6 golfers to do so.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span>Justin Rose</span></b></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span><span class="imageHolder"><img alt="thumbnail" src="http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/marketing/justinrose.jpg"></span></span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Nationality: England</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Age: 35</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>World Ranking: 9</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Has finished in the top five on five separate occasions.<span>&nbsp; </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span>Bubba Watson</span></b></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span><span class="imageHolder"><img alt="thumbnail" src="http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/marketing/bubbawatson.jpg"></span></span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Nationality: United States</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Age: 37</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>World Ranking: 4</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Known for big hitting the left hander has won title twice in 2012 and 2014 respectively.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span>Phil Mickelson</span></b></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span><span class="imageHolder"><img alt="thumbnail" src="http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/marketing/philmickelson.jpg"></span></span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Nationality: United States </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>World Ranking: 18</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Has the chance to win his fourth Masters tournament following wins in 2004, 2006 and 2010.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span>Henrik Stenson</span></b></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span><span class="imageHolder"><img alt="thumbnail" src="http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/marketing/henrikstenson.jpg"></span></span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Nationality: Sweden </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Age: 40</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>World Ranking: 6</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Finished second in The Open Championship in 2013 and led following the first round of the Masters Tournament in 2012 but his highest finished is only tied for 14<sup>th</sup> which he achieved in 2014.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span>Rickie Fowler</span></b></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span><span class="imageHolder"><img alt="thumbnail" src="http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/marketing/rickiefowler.jpg"></span></span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Nationality: United States</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Age: 27</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>World Ranking: 5</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Rickie Fowlers best finish is tied for fifth place which he accomplished in 2014. In January 2016 he has won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on the European Tour. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span>Dustin Johnson</span></b></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span><span class="imageHolder"><img alt="thumbnail" src="http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/marketing/dustinjohnson.jpg"></span></span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Nationality: United States</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Age: 31</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>World Ranking: 8</span></p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span>Dustin Johnson is one of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour and reached his highest rank of third following a tied second place finish at the U.S Open in 2015. His <font size="2">best</font> finish at the Masters is tied for sixth.</span></p> <span><font size="2">That concludes our list. The Masters tees off on 07/04/2016 at 13:20. In the meantime if you want to improve your handicap you can shop our full golf range </font><a href="http://www.sportsdirect.com/golf"><font size="2">here</font></a><font size="2">.</font></span>http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/who-will-win-the-2016-masters-tournament
http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/who-will-win-the-2016-masters-tournament#commenthttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/post.aspx?id=d7795f55-bbcc-4554-8cf1-1797800237adThu, 7 Apr 2016 10:34:43 +0000GolfSD_sean.riordan@sportsdirect.comhttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/pingback.axdhttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/post.aspx?id=d7795f55-bbcc-4554-8cf1-1797800237ad0http://blog.sportsdirect.com/trackback.axd?id=d7795f55-bbcc-4554-8cf1-1797800237adhttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/who-will-win-the-2016-masters-tournament#commenthttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/syndication.axd?post=d7795f55-bbcc-4554-8cf1-1797800237ad10 Facts You Did Not Know About The US Open Golf Tournament<style>
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<p><span class="imageHolder"><img alt="thumbnail" src="http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/marketing/us-open-blogg-image-001.jpg"></span></p><p><span class="imageHolder"></span>First of all for those who maybe unsure, the U.S Open comprises of 4 separate rounds of the 18 hole golf course, making a total of 72 holes to play. Out of the 156 competitors the winner is the golfer who has the lowest score overall after the 4 rounds. Now onto the facts!<br>&nbsp;<br>1.The US Open&nbsp;was celebrating its 115th edition when it began yesterday&nbsp;on June 18th 2015. For the first time it has been&nbsp;held in the Pacific Northwest on the links-style Chambers Bay layout in University Place, Washington.<br>&nbsp;<br>2.The US Open is widely regarded as the toughest of the four majors with its traditional course set-up of narrow fairways, thick rough and firm, fast conditions combining to make a score under par a challenge in itself.<br>&nbsp;<br>3.Despite the tough challenge set by the tournament, four players have won the U.S Open on four occasions, of which include:<br>&nbsp;<br>Jack Nicklaus (1962, 1967, 1972, 1980)<br>Ben Hogan (1948, 1950, 1951, 1953)<br>Bobby Jones (1923, 1926, 1929, 1930)<br>Willie Anderson (1901, 1903, 1904, 1905)<br>&nbsp;<br>4.Willie Anderson also holds the record for most consecutive wins with the three championships he won between 1903 and 1905.<br>&nbsp;<br>5.Alongside winning the tournament 4 times, Jack Nicklaus also holds the record for the most consecutive opens started at 44. These were completed between 1957 and 2000.<br>&nbsp;<br>6.Hale Irwin is the oldest winner of the US Open, when he clinched the title for a third time at the age of 45 years and 15 days.<br>&nbsp;<br>7.The youngest winner of the tournament is John McDermott who aged 19 and 315 days in 1911 who sealed the title in a play off at the Chicago Golf Club.<br>&nbsp;<br>8.Oakmont Country Club is has been the most popular venue for the tournament having hosted it a record 8 times.<br>&nbsp;<br>9.Great Britain’s Rory Mcillory holds a record of his own with his victory in 2011 with the lowest score ever recorded over 72 holes with 268 strokes.</p><p>10.The overall prize purse this year is just over 5.7 million pounds with the winner set to receive just over 1 million of that. If that wasn't enough, winners of the tournament also receive the following perks:</p><p>Automatic qualification for the U.S. Open tournament for the next 10 years<br>An invitation to the next five Masters Tournaments, British Open Championships and PGA Championships<br>Exempt status on the PGA Tour for five years.<br>&nbsp;<br>New records could be made when the tournament ends on Sunday 21st June. In the meantime if you feel inspired to improve that golf swing of yours, check out our full range of <a href="https://www.sportsdirect.com/golf">golf equipment</a>.<br>&nbsp;</p>http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/10-facts-you-did-not-know-about-the-us-open-golf-tournament
http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/10-facts-you-did-not-know-about-the-us-open-golf-tournament#commenthttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/post.aspx?id=13a2b34b-60b7-4e9a-b3aa-1237cf013cf3Fri, 19 Jun 2015 12:04:04 +0000GolfSD_sean.riordan@sportsdirect.comhttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/pingback.axdhttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/post.aspx?id=13a2b34b-60b7-4e9a-b3aa-1237cf013cf30http://blog.sportsdirect.com/trackback.axd?id=13a2b34b-60b7-4e9a-b3aa-1237cf013cf3http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/10-facts-you-did-not-know-about-the-us-open-golf-tournament#commenthttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/syndication.axd?post=13a2b34b-60b7-4e9a-b3aa-1237cf013cf3An Introduction to the 143rd British Open – Hoylake <p>This year the 143rd British Open Championship graces the perfectly maintained fairways of the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, Merseyside, a seaside town in the Wirral. Much like last years Open at Muirfield (and the 141 British Opens before that) on the 17th July the worlds top golfers will tee-off in an attempt to win the Claret Jug and also the huge prize pot of £975,000!</p>
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<p>The organisers at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club have vowed to make this event the greatest ever British Open and hopes to attract a recording breaking spectator turnout. Hoylake previously hosted the Open back in 2006 and succeeded in attracting one of the biggest crowds in the whole history of the Championship. In comparison to last years event at Muirfield however, only 142,000 fans were admitted through the turnstiles, significantly less than what Hoylake did back in 2006. Surprisingly organisers blamed the intense heat of a summer heat wave for the lack of attendance. </p>
<p>Regardless of the volume of spectators entering the venue, the pros are still guaranteed to be in attendance, mentally and physically preparing themselves for the 18 holes ahead. Luckily the Scottish Open competes the week prior to the British Open, so it gives players a chance to get used to the British climate and conditions in preparation for Hoylake next week…</p>
<p><b>So who do you think will take the Claret Jug? Here are our “ones to watch":</b></p>
<p><b>Martin Kaymer:</b> Kaymer’s approach at the US Open last month demonstrates his ability to work hard and keep calm under pressure. Although the chances of winning two consecutive majors are low, it’s not unheard of, with Pádraig Harrington winning both the British Open and PGA Championship back in 2008. We see no reason why Kaymer couldn’t do the same trick.</p>
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<p><b>Lee Westwood:</b> Westwood came close to taking home a win at last years British Open in Muirfield. Although Westwood’s performance hasn’t been too convincing in recent events, a practise run in the Scottish Open this week might just help him acclimatise back to British conditions once more. </p>
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<p><b>Hideki Matsuyama:</b> Matsuyama took 1st place in the Memorial Tournament in May at -13 and he also came 6th at the British Open in 2013. Although his positioning at the recent US Open (T35) wasn’t as impressive as his performance at other events, he could quite easily shine through at Hoylake. </p>
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<p><b>Rory McIlroy:</b> McIlroy has found his form this year, making it to a 4 man stand off at the Honda Classic in March and winning at the BMW PGA Championship in Wentworth. Mcilroy is obviously keen to keep up this good form and has shown promise thus far in the Scottish Open by breaking the course record and topping the leader board. If McIlroy can keep this up next week, he looks set to take the Claret jug. </p>
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<p>Ready to tee off like the pros? Check out our&nbsp;<a href="http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/Which-Golfer-Are-You" target="blank" onclick="return false;">“Which golfer are you</a>?" guide to see who you measure up against!&nbsp;</p>http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/an-introduction-to-the-143rd-british-open-hoylake
http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/an-introduction-to-the-143rd-british-open-hoylake#commenthttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/post.aspx?id=26f43bf3-8568-4d63-816f-ebe36c5b0148Fri, 11 Jul 2014 11:47:39 +0000GolfSD_liam.bailey@sportsdirect.comhttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/pingback.axdhttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/post.aspx?id=26f43bf3-8568-4d63-816f-ebe36c5b01480http://blog.sportsdirect.com/trackback.axd?id=26f43bf3-8568-4d63-816f-ebe36c5b0148http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/an-introduction-to-the-143rd-british-open-hoylake#commenthttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/syndication.axd?post=26f43bf3-8568-4d63-816f-ebe36c5b0148US Open 2014: Who’s Flying The Flag For Britain?<p>For forty years no British player ever got close to winning the US Open; it was a tournament that usually prompted an American winner. However, with three Brits winning the event over the course of the last four years, it would be fair to say that the tide has now changed.</p>
<p>This Thursday sees the event return to Pinehurst in North Carolina; a course that has been regarded as one of the more difficult to play over the years. There are some suggestions that this could play straight into the hands of some of the British contenders, with recent US Open victors Justin Rose and Graeme McDowell winning the 2010 and 2013 event with relatively high, conservative scores.</p>
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<p><b>Rory McIlroy</b></p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, Rory McIlroy is right up there as the favourite for the tournament. This isn’t just out of the British field either, most people are tipping McIlroy to add to his existing tally of two majors. He’s already succeeded in this tournament having lifted the trophy in 2011 and his form over the last few weeks has led many to believe that he is in optimum condition ahead of Pinehurst. He has recorded five top ten finishes in his last six events, with one of these being his BMW PGA Championship victory.</p>
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<p><b>Justin Rose</b></p>
<p>Having won the US Open last year, it’s no surprise to see Rose being branded as a potential winner for the 2014 event. If he does manage the unthinkable, it will be the first time in 25 years that a player has managed to successfully defend their title in this competition.</p>
<p>There is evidence to suggest that he’s coming into form at exactly the right time as well. While he hasn’t won a tournament this year, he has finished fourth and fifth in The Players Championship and Wells Fargo Championship respectively over the past few weeks. Whether or not he can go one step further and fly the flag for Britain again remains to be seen though.</p>
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<p><b>Lee Westwood</b></p>
<p>Lee Westwood always seems to find himself in contention for major tournaments and there have been umpteen occasions where he’s been on the tip of glory, only to fall at the final hurdle. He managed to finish third in both 2008 and 2011, although his recent results suggest that things might be more difficult this time around. He has missed the cut in three of his last six tournaments, although on a more positive note he did manage top ten finishes at the Players Championship and the Masters.</p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/marketing/graeme mcdowell.jpg" style="float:center;"></p><div style="clear:both;"></div>
<p><b>Graeme McDowell</b></p>
<p>Another former winner, there is naturally going to be plenty of attention on Graeme McDowell this week. McDowell started the season in fine form and a return of six top ten finishes out of seven events suggested that this could be another memorable year for the Northern Irishman. Unfortunately, things have gone off the rails somewhat over the past few weeks and after missing the cut at the Masters, he has proceeded to finish outside the top 20 on his past three events. Nevertheless, McDowell obviously has a knack of prevailing at the US Open and after winning the event in 2010, he also finished 2nd a couple of years later. It will now be interesting to see just how fares at the challenging Pinehurst.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/marketing/luke donald.jpg" style="float:center;"></p><div style="clear:both;"></div>
<p><b>Luke Donald</b></p>
<p>For years Luke Donald has been one of those players that your typical Sunday morning is in awe of. He looks the part, has the textbook swing – but one thing has always been missing; victories. He is yet to record any sort of success in a major, with his best achievements being third place finishes at the Masters and PGA Championship. His 8th place finish in last year’s US Open was the best he has ever managed and prior to that he was regularly finishing outside the top forty or even missing the cut.</p>
<p>His overall form through 2014 has hardly been inspiring either, although after recording a 3rd place finish at the BMW PGA Championship and finishing 2nd at the RBC Heritage, some might suggest that he has an outside chance of prevailing at Pinehurst this year.</p>http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/us-open-2014-who-s-flying-the-flag-for-britain
http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/us-open-2014-who-s-flying-the-flag-for-britain#commenthttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/post.aspx?id=406317ec-3a93-4aa3-b382-b77a8fe859d1Wed, 11 Jun 2014 17:12:15 +0000GolfSD_Michael.Richardson@sportsdirect.comhttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/pingback.axdhttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/post.aspx?id=406317ec-3a93-4aa3-b382-b77a8fe859d10http://blog.sportsdirect.com/trackback.axd?id=406317ec-3a93-4aa3-b382-b77a8fe859d1http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/us-open-2014-who-s-flying-the-flag-for-britain#commenthttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/syndication.axd?post=406317ec-3a93-4aa3-b382-b77a8fe859d1Which Golfer Are You?<p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://www.sportsdirect.com/images/marketing/golf-flowchart.jpg" style="float:center;"></p><div style="clear:both;"></div>
<p style="text-align:center; font-style:italic;">Click here to view our <a href="http://www.sportsdirect.com/mens/mens-golf-trousers">men's golf trousers</a> and <a href="http://www.sportsdirect.com/golf/clothing/mens-golf-tops">golf tops</a></p>http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/which-golfer-are-you
http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/which-golfer-are-you#commenthttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/post.aspx?id=ca25c198-65b9-4c64-a543-e9f33a165418Mon, 2 Jun 2014 14:18:30 +0000FashionGolfSD_Michael.Richardson@sportsdirect.comhttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/pingback.axdhttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/post.aspx?id=ca25c198-65b9-4c64-a543-e9f33a1654180http://blog.sportsdirect.com/trackback.axd?id=ca25c198-65b9-4c64-a543-e9f33a165418http://blog.sportsdirect.com/post/which-golfer-are-you#commenthttp://blog.sportsdirect.com/syndication.axd?post=ca25c198-65b9-4c64-a543-e9f33a165418